Welcome

Imagine if your days were no longer consumed by distressing thoughts, ineffective behaviors, or avoidance of painful memories or emotions. How would it feel to have a sense of purpose and vitality in your everyday life and a true sense of where you are headed?

If you are committed to making lasting change, our work together can help you:

Live life in accordance with your values and no longer allow fear or other emotions to prevent you from reaching your goals

Proactive Psychotherapy is a therapy practice located in "The Loop" - the heart of Downtown Chicago. Our mission is to help adults and adolescents struggling with Depression, OCD, perfectionism, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Addiction, Trauma, relationship concerns, times of transition or feeling stuck. Our specialty is helping people build more meaningful, authentic, and purpose-driven lives.

Meet our Clinicians

Owner & Therapist: Tory Krone, AM, LCSW

Tory spent many years studying the role of experience across the human lifespan. After completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Developmental Psychology at Duke University, she completed a post-graduate program at Georgetown University on the Science of Effective Human Development. For graduate school, at The University of Chicago, Tory pursued a dual administrative and clinical advanced degree, which furthered her desire to facilitate change on both macro and micro levels.

Tory spent three years of postgraduate work training extensively in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This included two years of training under a University of Chicago Professor in his comprehensive DBT/ACT outpatient program, and one on one supervision with Dr. John Forsyth, renowned author and ACT trainer. In addition to her work as an individual, family, and group therapist across the whole continuum of care, she has taken on leadership roles in outpatient, partial hospital, and residential treatment settings.

Most recently, Tory was the Clinical Director of a treatment center located in the northern suburbs of Chicago. In this role, she was responsible for developing the clinical program, supervising and hiring all clinical staff, and overseeing all clinical operations. Prior to that role, she was the Director of Clinical Training of Timberline Knolls, a nationally renowned residential treatment facility for women with co-occurring disorders, and was on the faculty of their Clinical Development Institute. Tory was responsible for training other clinicians and gave national presentations on the treatment of eating disorders, co-occuring disorders, addictions, and trauma.

Tory is passionate about being at the forefront of behavioral health research and innovation in order to provide unparalleled, evidence-based care to her clients. Clinically, she is interested in integrating contextually rooted behavioral therapies, particularly ACT and DBT, to help clients address and undermine the factors which fuel and maintain their unworkable patterns. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Illinois and an active member of the following professional organizations:

The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

The International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals

The National Association of Social Workers

Therapist: Lindan Lawson, MSW, LCSW

Lindan's light-hearted and genuine demeanor creates an environment in which clients feel very comfortable engaging in therapy. Using a collaborative approach, Lindan workswith clients to identify and clear away obstacles that interfere with whatever life they imagine for themselves. Lindan received her clinical training at New York University where she earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work, with a concentration in mental health and substance abuse. She completed her undergraduate work at James Madison University where she graduated with honors.Lindan continues to immerse herself in the latest research and innovations in the field and recently spent 18 months undergoing extensive training on Mindfulness. Lindan went on to share her knowledge via community presentations on“Mindfulness and Meditation for Mental Wellness.”

Lindan has extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) via Marsha Linehan’s training group, Behavioral Tech.Because of her training and success with DBT, Lindan has presented on DBT at the University of Michigan; and has trained many new treatment teams in DBT.Lindan's expertise lies in helping adolescents and adults struggling with depression, trauma, substance abuse, eating disorders, and Mood Disorders to make lasting transformations. With the utmost compassion for her clients, Lindan integrates Dialectical, Cognitive Behavioral, and mindfulness-based approaches to help her clients thrive.

Therapist: Rachel Sherron, MA, LCPC, RYT

Sessions with Rachel involve a collaborative approach to help you improve relationships, ease your racing mind, relax physical tension, and live a more fulfilling and balanced life. Whether you are struggling with work stress, trauma, challenging relationships or addictive behaviors, she will help you explore the issues you are facing and to better cope through crisis.

Rachel has spent nearly a decade studying and practicing a wide range of mind/body approaches for mental health and physical wellness. Rachel is a lifelong learner who stays at the forefront of cutting edge treatments for depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress and is currently enrolled in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, level 2 training on Trauma and Attachment.

Most recently, Rachel was the Coordinator of Trauma Awareness and Clinical Yoga Specialist at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. She has traveled nationally training clinicians how to incorporate yoga and the body into trauma treatment and can be found in Chicago training yoga teachers on how to teach trauma-informed yoga. Currently, Rachel is part of a research team studying the impact of Yoga Therapy for people recovering from opioid addiction.

Rachel uses her passion for helping others to unlock the highest potential in all of her clients. Rachel has a passion for igniting change that leads to holistic wellness.

Therapist: Cara Stern, MS, MPhilEd, LCPC

Cara promotes a warm and safe environment in which clients can feel comfortable to engage in self-exploration and work to achieve personal growth. She is mindful of the vulnerability and courage shown in entering a therapeutic relationship and believes that vulnerability is the start of change and self-acceptance.

Cara has a strong background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and promotes a mindful, strengths-based, interactive approach to therapy. She specializes in working with women and couples concentrating on relational issues, life transition/adjustments, and mood regulation.

Cara holds a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Relations from VillanovaUniversity. She has previous experience as theCoordinator of the co-occurring adult intensiveoutpatient department at one of the largest community mental health centers in Pennsylvania. In addition, Cara hasworked in several private practice settings. Cara is passionate about delivering the highest quality of care for every client.

OUR APPROACH: EVIDENCED-BASED TREATMENT

In your first session, we will discuss how you are living in the present and where you would ideally like to be in six months from that date. The rest of our work together is about closing that gap. We help our clients look at their patterns of behavior, clarify the things they do that work for them and those that work against them, support them in implementing more effective strategies, and determining valued life directions.

We are active participants throughout the entire therapeutic process. Our clients are always "in the driver's seat," and we are right there alongside them, to help them navigate the journey.

We empower our clients to fundamentally change the way they live their lives by providing concrete skills and strategies that teach our clients how to help themselves. We firmly believe in an integrative approach to treatment that targets both mind and body to maximize your overall wellness.

“If you ask people what they want, so many people will say that they don’t want to feel fear, they don’t want to be sad. It turns out what they really believe is that if they did that, then they would be able to do something. And in that something is what they really want. It isn’t just that they want to get rid of the anxiety, get rid of the sadness. They may want to live a life that’s more open, more participatory, contributing to others more and being more connected.

— Steven Hayes, Founder of ACT

Together, we will create an individualized plan that will include many of the following components:

Scheduling

To request an appointment, please use this form. We do our best to accommodate same day and same week appointment requests.

To ask questions prior to booking an appointment or to schedule a brief phone consultation, please Email: Info@ProactivePsychotherapy or call 847-881-6093.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I've tried therapy before. How are you different?

We want you to move forward and we'll help you get "un-stuck." Some types of therapy focus more on the past than on the present or future. No matter how much insight we might gain about ourselves, insight alone does not produce growth. In our work together, we'll be curious about unworkable patterns that are holding you back; and with a great deal of compassion, we'll work on finding healthier ways to meet your needs while helping you live more whole-heartedly.

We use interventions that are empirically validated.

Our level of experience sets us apart. We are highly trained clinicians that have worked in many different treatment settings (inpatient units, residential treatment, partial hospital, and intensive outpatient programs).

We pay attention to data and make sure that you are benefitting from our work together. From day 1, you will complete an outcome measure that will help us establish a baseline. You will complete this same measure at pre-determined intervals throughout our work together, so that we can evaluate your progress and make sure that you are benefiting from treatment.

Q: I'd like to book an appointment. what do i do?

Please reach out! You can contact us using the "contact us" form, by Email: info@proactivepsychotherapy.com or by phone 312-626.1800.

If you'd like to have a brief phone conversation before scheduling, to ask questions or to see which of our therapists is the right fit, please Email info@proactivepsychotherapy to schedule a brief phone call.

We know that when you are ready to book a session, you don't want to wait weeks to see someone. You will be able to book same-week appointments.

After we have confirmed a time to meet, you will receive a link to our online portal. You can complete all of the initial paperwork and include your insurance information up front, so we don't have to spend time on this during our initial appointment.

You will receive an Email with directions to the office. We look forward to meeting you!

Q: What are your session fees?

Initial intake appointment - 60 minutes - $150

Individual Therapy Session - 50 minutes - $150

Couples' Therapy Session - 60 minutes - $165

Payment is due at the time of service. We accept cash, check, or credit card. Most of our clients prefer to pay via our online portal which makes payment automatic and allows you to check your invoices online.

Q: Will my insurance cover my sessions?

We are in-network providers with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. If you have BCBS PPO, we recommend you call the number on the back of your card and find out answers to the following questions, as you are ultimately responsible for the full cost of therapy.

What are my in-network benefits to see an outpatient mental health provider?

How much is my deductible and how much of it has been met? Do I have any co-insurance?

Do I have a co-pay?

How many mental health sessions per calendar year does my plan cover?.

We are out-of-network providers for all other insurance plans. This means that you are responsible for payment, in full, at the time of service. If you would like, we can provide you with a "superbill" that you can submit to your insurance company directly, in order to apply your out-of-network benefits. It is best to check with your insurance in advance to determine your out-of-network therapy benefits and the amount you can expect to be reimbursed. Some of our clients get up to 75% reimbursement from their insurance company, which makes their total cost about the same as a co-pay.

*Please note that if you choose to use your insurance, we will need to include a mental health diagnosis, as this is required by insurance companies in order to provide reimbursement. For this reason, some people prefer not to apply their benefits for therapy.

Suggested Resources

Proactive Psychotherapy takes a cutting-edge approach to what ails people. Research shows that the struggle to be happy-- the endless days and sometimes decades of trying to be different than you are-- is not only futile, but life and meaning draining. Here, we have compiled many resources that align with the spirit and philosophy of our Proactive approach.

Mindfulness is a “hot topic” in psychology right now - increasingly recognised as a powerful therapeutic intervention for everything from work stress to depression - and also as an effective tool for increasing emotional intelligence, increasing self-awareness, and effectively handling painful thoughts and feelings.

Although mindfulness has only recently been embraced by Western psychology, it is an ancient practice found in a wide range of Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism and Yoga. Mindfulness involves consciously bringing awareness to your here-and-now experience with openness, interest, and receptiveness.

Mindfulness is about waking up, connecting with ourselves, and appreciating the fullness of each moment of life. Kabat-Zinn calls it, "The art of conscious living." It is a profound way to enhance psychological and emotional resilience, and increase life satisfaction.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a powerful mindfulness-based therapy (and coaching model) which currently leads the field in terms of research, application and results.

What our clients have to say

"I initially started to see Tori for help with over 20 years of multiple eating disorders. I am 41 and have tried many forms of therapy before. What I love most about Tori is that we work on the real stuff that matters in life. She challenges me to live the life that I know I am capable of. She incorporates mindfulness and self compassion into her sessions. At the end of every day, I am accountable to her through a commitment card. Tori is changing my life. For anyone who suffers from an eating disorder, there is hope. There really is. Tori also has a team that she works with. For me, having multiple people on the same page has been crucial. And I drive 2 hours to see her. When I first met Tori, I knew I needed her care. She will see me through this and when i get to the other side....we will have done this together." -B.K. Fox Point, WI

"You have truly saved my life. You were able to unlock the part of me that has the strength to persevere, and now, the skills to survive. Until you came into my life, all I was able to focus on were the "why" questions about my disorders. You've taught me to examine "how" questions, instead, and suddenly everything locked into place. Now I know that I can "feel" and my world won't come crashing down. You've helped bring me back to life!" - C.M. Washington D.C.

"My therapist at Proactive Psychotherapy has been amazingly influential in helping me to accept some really challenging things that I have struggled with for many years. In just a few short months, I am learning to accept myself as a whole person, to accept past traumas, and to manage my feelings in a healthy way." - K.M. Chicago, IL

"Thank you, Tory, from the bottom of my heart-not only for helping me, but for teaching me how I can help myself." - A.R. Canada

Appointment Request

We look forward to hearing from you! Please use the following form to request an initial appointment or to reach out with questions about our practice. We will respond by Email to all inquiries within 24 hours.

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Location:

Downtown chicago

20 North Clark Street, Suite 3300

Chicago, IL 60602

directions:

We are conveniently located in "The Loop" in the heart of Downtown Chicago.